


Love's Afterglow

by Martinchan



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: (Soulmate AU only in Chapter 2), Afterglow Kids, Afterglow Love, Comfort, F/F, Hidden Feelings, Kissing, Misunderstandings, More pairings to be added later - Freeform, One Shot Collection, Soulmates, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25869847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martinchan/pseuds/Martinchan
Summary: A collection of Afterglow focused stories featuring both common and rare pairs. Will hopefully feature a wide variety of pairings as well as story types as it goes on, set at all different points in their relationships.
Relationships: Aoba Moca/Uehara Himari, Hazawa Tsugumi/Uehara Himari, Mitake Ran/Uehara Himari, Udagawa Tomoe/Uehara Himari
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	1. Three Little Words (Moca X Himari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Afterglow girls all decide to meet up for some practice, but when Himari and Moca enter CiRCLE mid argument, Tsugumi, Tomoe and Ran wonder how far the two are in their relationship.

It was a particularly quiet Sunday afternoon at CiRCLE; the sun was beating down especially hard this summer day so when the members of Afterglow decided to spend the day together, they all agreed spending it inside was the only sane option. Ideas were texted back and forth including shopping, watching a movie, or just spending time at Hazawa Café, ultimately Ran suggested they use this time to get some practice in.

And that is how Tomoe, Ran and Tsugumi wound up waiting at CiRCLE for around half an hour for the other two to show up.

Tomoe glanced up to a clock mounted on the wall, “Geez, what’s keeping those two?”

“Maybe they met up first?” Tsugumi suggested.

“Yeah, that probably right,” Ran sighed. “Ever since they started dating Himari’s been practically latched onto Moca’s arm. At least it means Moca annoying her a lot more nowadays than me.”

“Fu fu” Tsugumi giggled, she placed her hands together over her chest, “I think they’re kinda cute together, don’t you?”

Tomoe nodded in agreement, “They seem happy, so it’s good with me. Though I do wonder how serious they are…”

The girls heard the clanging of the door opening and closing, they all turned to see Moca and Himari had entered the venue. The two appeared to be arguing about something, but the girls could tell it wasn’t anything too serious as Himari was still smiling and they were holding hands. Though judging from Moca’s exasperated face, whatever Himari was going on about was getting to her.

“Should we go get them?” Ran asked, “They don’t seem to be coming over.”

Tomoe shrugged, “Prolly just didn’t see us, ya know?”

“No way,” Tsugumi shook her head, “you two are so stunning, you always stand out!”

Ran blushed and quietly mumbled to herself while Tomoe laughed it off “Man, Tsugu, keep saying stuff like that and there’ll be two Afterglow couples! Ha ha!”

Ran got up out of her chair, choosing to leave the conversation before she became more uncomfortable. Tomoe and Tsugumi took this as a queue to stop their joking and follow. As they drew closer to Moca and Himari they could start to listen in on their conversation.

“C’mon, Moca, say it again!” Himari cheered.

Moca gazed at Himari with her usual sleepy stare, “Hii-chan, would you just drop it? I’m not gonna say it again.”

“Say what again?” Ran inquired once she was close enough to engage them.

“Hey, Ran! There you guys are!” Moca was clearly relieved to have a distraction from whatever they were discussing, “You ready to get to practice?”

Tomoe smirked, “Since when are you so gung-ho about practicing?”

Moca feigned being hurt, “Tomo-chin, how you could think Moca-chan was ever anything but 100% at all times?”

“Well… you have fallen asleep while playing your guitar before,” Tsugumi added.

“Boo hoo…” Moca fake cried and covered her eyes, “Everyone’s ganging on poor ol’ Moca-chan… and all she wanted to do was spend time with her amazing friends and doting girlfriend who is totally gonna buy Moca-chan some bread after practice… boo hoo…”

Tsugumi was the only one fooled by this act, “Oh I’m sorry, Moca-chan, I took it too far! How about we just get to practice?”

Moca nodded, showing an immediate mood turn around, “I’d like that very much. Thanks, Tsugu!” Moca and Tsugumi began making their way towards the studio room they had booked earlier; the others exchanged glances then followed.

Tomoe lightly slapped the back of Moca’s head, “Stop manipulating Tsugu like that… and, Tsugu, stop being so gullible.”

Most of the girls decided to drop the conversation, though Himari remained determined.

“Also I was not gonna buy you bread,” Himari folded her arms assertively, “but I might… if you say it again.”

Moca shook her head defiantly, “Not gonna happen, Hii-chan.” The group arrived at their designated room for practice; they made their way inside and began prepping their individual instruments.

“I meant to ask actually…” Ran turned to Moca, who had sat herself down on a stool off to the side of the room and began tuning her guitar, “Why did you fall asleep that one time? Why were you so tired?”

Moca widened her eyes in mock shock, “Ran, how could you forget what was happing later that night! It was such an important day in Afterglow history, Moca-chan couldn’t help but be nervous and stay up all night the night before.”

When Ran still looked confused Tsugumi filled in the blanks for her, “That night was when Moca-chan and Himari-chan were going on their first date. It was kind of cute that you were so nervous, Moca-chan.”

“It really was!” Himari excitedly skipped into the centre of the room to make sure everyone was listening to what she had to say next, “It was the best first date ever! Moca was so sweet and so romantic…!”

Moca pulled her hoodie up to try and hide her blushing face, “Hii-chan, stop!”

Tomoe gave a hearty belly laugh, “Our Moca? The secret romantic, huh?”

“It’s true though! I was really surprised, but when Moca tries she can really make my heart swell. Hey, you know what else would make my heart swell…?” Himari leaned in to apply pressure on Moca, “You saying it again.”

“No!” Moca placed her guitar off to the side and crossed her arms in a huff.

“It’s only three little words, Moca!” Himari waved her arms around to accentuate her point, “Three! Little! Words! And we’re not even in public; if you say it here in front of the girls I’ll give you extra bread!”

As the two continued their arguing, Tsugumi, Ran, and Tomoe crept over to the other side of the room and began whispering.

“D-Did she just say ‘three little words,’” Tsugumi nervously stuttered.

Tomoe looked back and forth between her friends, “You don’t she meant like-”

“No way!” Ran cut her off with a hiss, “They can’t already be at the point, can they?”

“Maybe it just kind of slipped out?” Tsugumi suggested.

“Yeah makes sense,” Tomoe agreed, “They were probably just having a good time together, Moca got caught up in the moment and said ‘I love you’ to Himari…”

“…Then Himari latched onto it,” Ran finished Tomoe’s thought, “We all know what Himari can be like with stuff like this…”

“So what are we going to do about this? What do we say?” Tsugumi asked

An awkward silence hung over the three girls, Himari’s coaxing sounding far off as the three became lost in thought. Ran gave the other two a serious look, “Is it our place to do anything?”

Tomoe immediately replied, “Of course it is! Maybe it’s their relationship, but there’s no way I could sit around and do nothing while two of my best friends are fighting.”

Ran relented, “Well… you’re right. I guess we should try to help…”

Tsugumi placed a hand over her chest, “I think… Moca-chan wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t really feel it on some level, she’s just a bit embarrassed to be the one to say it first… and Himari-chan wouldn’t be this obsessed unless she felt the same way…” Tsugumi gave herself a small nod, confidant in her reasoning, “…Our friends are in love! I think if we can get Moca-chan to admit it… they’ll both be much happier for it!”

Tomoe pumped her fist, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

“Sure…” Ran crossed her arms, “You guys got this. I’ll just… provide support…”

The three broke out of their huddle and made their way back over to Himari and Moca; Tomoe loudly cleared her throat to gain their attention, “Yo, Moca, we’ve been talking and we think you should just say it already!”

Moca eyes widen in shock, “…Are you serious?”

Tsugumi stepped forward, “Moca-chan, I know you’re a little embarrassed, and maybe you don’t want to say it in front of your friends… but I think it’s important for both Himari-chan and yourself that you do this now! We support you both wholeheartedly!”

Moca was flabbergasted, she looked between Tsugumi and Tomoe for some sign they were kidding. Finding none, she turned to Ran who just gave her a fierce nod in return. Lastly Moca turned to Himari who looked back to her with pleading eyes.

“Alright, fine… for Hii-chan…” Moca sighed. She got off of her stool, took in a deep breath, and placed her hands on her hips to ready herself. Feeling prepared, Moca thrust her arms into the air and shouted, “HEY HEY HOH!”

Himari began clapping and bouncing off the ground, “She said it, she said it!”

“Wait… what?” Tomoe, Tsugumi and Ran all asked in unison.

Himari wrapped Moca in a big hug, “Oh, Moca, I love you so much!”

Moca lazily returned the hug, “Yeah yeah, I love you too.”

“WHAT!?” Tomoe, Tsugumi and Ran now shouting in unison.

Himari, still clinging to Moca, turned to the three of them, “What’s the matter?”

“This whole time…” Ran said slowly, “… you were just trying to get Moca to say ‘hey hey hoh’?”

“Well yeah obviously, didn’t you know that though?” Himari shrugged, “What else would I be trying to get her to say?”

“W-We thought it was your first time saying ‘I love you’ to each other,” Tsugumi explained. Moca and Himari looked to each other and shared a laugh.

“Silly, Tsugu~” Moca teased, “Me and Hii-chan said that forever ago~”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Tomoe face-palmed.

“Yeah, Moca actually confessed to me on our date, she had a whole speech prepared,” Himari sighed contently. She closed her eyes, reminiscing on that night, “That’s what I meant when I said Moca was being SO ROMANTIC! She was so cute when she told me-”

“Hii-chan, stop!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading (and hopefully enjoying) the first chapter of this series. It, like most stories I write, took a little longer to get out then I hoped but with extra work and all manner of other things going on it was a little understandable this time. Please let me know what you think of this, and each chapter as we go, I always love hearing from readers.
> 
> I have a lot of hope for getting this, as well as another one-shot collection focused on Kaoru, going with a variety of ships, some well established and others a bit more obscure but could still lead to exploring some fun or unique dynamics between characters. If you're curious about what ideas for chapters I have next, well for now I have ideas for: Tomoe X Himari (this one semi based on a request by StarLightCrystal), Tsugumi X Tomoe, and Moca X Tsugumi (I know, weirdly no Ran, it saddened me a bit too when I realized she wasn't in my first few ideas, but we'll get to her). I'm always open to people requesting pairings but just note I won't really be focused on taking prompts as I mainly want to see if I can come up with my own ideas for the pairings. I will still try to give priority to more frequently requested ships, but as I'm becoming exceedingly busy with other things and I'll want to write other stories, priority doesn't necessarily mean soon.
> 
> For now I'll follow my tradition of making up character cards for the story as if it an in-game event story, since this one is a bit special I'll just make all the girls a 4star rather than having 2 4stars, 2 3stars and a 2star.
> 
> Moca Aoba (4 Star Cool Type) [The Secert Romantic]
> 
> Himari Uehara (4 Star Cool Type) [Our First Words]
> 
> Tomoe Udagawa (4 Star Cool Type) [My Renegade Heart]
> 
> Tsugumi Hazawa (4 Star Happy Type) [Just Like My Shoujo Manga!]
> 
> Ran Mitake (4 Star Happy Type) [Love Can Be Hard]


	2. Our First Words (Tomoe X Himari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young Himari is excited to spend the day having fun with a couple of her friends, but her mixed feelings on the first words her soulmate will say to her seem to be getting in the way. Though her friends, and a new girl at the park, might change her mind.

“You’ll be good for the Hazawas right, Himari?” Himari’s mother asked as she petted her daughter’s head.

“I will! I promise, mommy!” Himari cheerily looked up to her mother.

The adorable 6 year old girl known as Uehara Himari was in for what her young mind thought would be the best day ever. Not only was she going to meet up with her two new friends, Hazawa Tsugumi and Aoba Moca, and spend the afternoon with them at their favourite park, but after that they were all going back to Tsugumi’s for her first ever sleepover. It was definitely going to be a day to remember.

Himari secured her backpack and skipped away from her mother. She turned back and waved, “See you tomorrow, mommy! I’ll tell you all about my sleepover when I get home.” Himari’s mother gave her a warm smile and small wave in return.

As Himari made her way to Hazawa Café she suddenly felt a small, though sharp pain on her right arm. The pain was immediately gone, though it still concerned Himari. She rolled up her sleeve looked to where she felt the pain; nothing seemed unusual, just the same words that had been on Himari’s arm since the day she was born, nothing new.

The words made Himari frown, she was never a fan of those words, and couldn’t believe they were supposed to be the first thing her soulmate said to her. Himari rolled her sleeve back down, she’d rather just forget about those words for today, though she knew after the reminder she’d need to complain to Tsugumi at least a little to put it past her.

Finally arriving at Hazawa Café, Himari was proud of herself for successfully navigating the couple streets she walked alone. She noticed Tsugumi and Moca waiting outside the front of the café and excitedly waved at them, “Tsugumi-chan! Moca-chan!” She called.

Tsugumi eagerly waved back while Moca barely moved her hand in a lazy gesture.

“Himari-chan, you’re here!”

“Yo, Hii-chan!”

Tsugumi held out her hand, “I’ll run your bag in for you, Himari-chan.”

“Thanks, Tsugumi-chan!” Himari handed over her backpack, and Tsugumi quickly ran into the café.

As the two waited for Tsugumi’s return, Moca noticed Himari glaring down at herself and tugging at her sleeve, “Hii-chan, what’re ya doing? Worried about your weight or something?”

Himari puffed out her cheeks in a pout, “No, Moca-chan! It’s these dummy dumb words being all dumb!”

Moca raised an eyebrow and slowly pressed a finger to her chin, “Oh? You mean your soulmate words?”

Himari nodded furiously, “Yeah, those ones. They stung me before and now they feel kinda itchy.”

A smug grin worked its way onto Moca’s face, “Is that so…” Moca clearly knew something but Himari wasn’t going to ask, she knew Moca would either lie or tease her, so it was best to just wait to talk to her more sensible friend.

Tsugumi came back out the café doors, “Ok, you girls ready to then?” Tsugumi asked.

“Yeah, let’s get going,” Moca gave a small nod, “Got plenty of games I wanna play after all.”

“Sounds good to me,” Himari said, “but I’m not playing tag.”

* * *

As the girls made their way to the park Himari tugged on Tsugumi’s arm, indicating she wanted to talk. The two slowed down a little, allowing Moca to take the lead, and Tsugumi asked, “Is something wrong, Himari-chan?”

“It’s about these words on my arm…” Himari began. Tsugumi had heard Himari rant about her displeasure with said words several times before, but Tsugumi was more than happy to listen again, so she simply gave Himari a sympathetic look, and allowed Himari to continue.

“I mean, I still can’t believe it, why would these be the first words my soulmate would say to me? They’re not romantic or clever, it’s just dumb!” Himari rolled her sleeve up again and read the words out in a sarcastic, biting tone, “‘ _You’re kinda short, aren’t ya’_ , that’s it? No, ‘ _omg you’re so pretty’_ or ‘ _I’m a dashing prince here to sweep you of your feet’_. I’m not even that short!”

“I don’t think it’s that bad, Himari-chan. Mine isn’t much better anyway,” Tsugumi offered up her own arm for Himari to see, it read ‘Hello, my name is Hikawa Sayo’. “It’s a little plain too, right?”

“Yours is great, Tsugumi-chan! You know their name, and they’re polite, like a cool senpai or something. Plus I bet she follows it up with, _‘I just had to introduce myself to the prettiest girl here’_.”

“T-There’s no way that would happen, Himari-chan,” Tsugumi blushed and looked away. “B-But you know, knowing their name is also a little worrying.” Tsugumi began to ramble a bit, “I keep thinking, _‘should I look them up?’_ Like, what if they go to our school and I just don’t know yet? Or what if I meet her brother or sister first? Do I just say _‘Hey would mind introducing to your sister? We’re soulmates after all!’_ It’d just be so weird…”

“Wow, Tsugumi-chan, I had no idea you thought about this stuff as much as I do,” Himari took Tsugumi’s hand in her own. “I think you should just let it happen naturally. She’s your soulmate so it’s meant to be anyway!”

Tsugumi gave Himari hand a thankful squeeze, “You’re right, Himari-chan. I think you should just wait and see too, even if you’re unsure about the first words… she wouldn’t be your soulmate if there wasn’t something there, right?”

“Yeah, I guess ya got a point there, Tsugumi-chan,” Himari gazed down at her arm, she ran a finger down the words, “I guess I just got a little worked up again after these were stinging me earlier…”

Tsugumi’s eyes widen, “Wait you mean… your words were stinging earlier?”

“Why are you and Moca acting weird about my words feeling all hurty?”

“Hey look, there’s the park!” Moca called out, “Let’s race the last bit, last one there buys me a bun!” Moca ran off, somehow gaining a lot of speed while still looking like she was just stumbling lazily.

“Hey wait, I don’t have any money!” Himari panicked.

“It’s ok, Himari-chan,” Tsugumi said reassuringly, “I’ll just walk really slowly; I can get Moca-chan a bun later easily.”

“Thanks, Tsugumi-chan!” Himari gave her friend a quick hug before running off after Moca.

* * *

Himari arrived at the park completely out of breath, “I… need… to… exercise… more…” She bent forward, placing her hands on her knees and panted heavily. Himari could hear a couple voices conversing nearby; one she recognized to be Moca, the other was a stranger.

“Yo, nice running there! You were going so fast!” The stranger excitedly said to Moca, she sounded like a girl about their age.

“Thanks, I am pretty amazing,” Moca boasted, “I haven’t seen you here before, you wanna play with me and my friends?”

“Hell yeah!” The stranger yelled, “You girls seem fun how ‘bout we-” the stranger paused for a moment, “Hey uh… is your friend ok? She’s been like that for a while…”

“Oh, that’s just Hii-chan,” Moca said dismissively, “she always takes a bit to catch her breath…”

Himari heard small though strong footsteps making their way over to her. She saw two feet come into view, the stranger loomed over her. Himari raised herself back upright and came face to face with the most stunning sight she had seen. The girl in front of her had the brightest blue eyes, beautiful red hair, and a daring, confidant smirk. Though they seemed about the same age this girl stood head and shoulders over Himari, she found it a little intimidating as this girl exuded a powerful aura.

The stranger spoke, “You’re kinda short aren’t ya?”

Himari felt heat rise to her face, she puffed out her cheeks in embarrassment, “Hey! J-Just cause you look like a model doesn’t mean-”

The stranger jumped back; she looked absolutely shocked, maybe even a little fearful, as if Himari had just said the most unexpected thing anyone has ever said.

It was only at this point did Himari realize both her and the stranger’s right arm lit with a faint glow. The words on each of their arms flew off and met in the air, becoming a small ball of light that faded away. Himari looked down at her arm to see the words that had been there since the day she was born, were now gone. She looked up to see the strange girl was staring back at her, equally surprised and confused.

“W-What was that?” The girl stammered.

Suddenly another girl, this one a lot shorter with black hair and red eyes, popped out from behind some nearby play equipment. She ran gingerly over to the first girl and tugged on her sleeve, “Tomoe-chan…” She said, her voice was so small it sounded almost like a whisper, “…I think it means that girl’s your soulmate.”

The girl called ‘Tomoe’ swivelled her head to look at the new girl, “What!? No way, that’s crazy, Ran-chan!”

‘Ran’ seemed annoyed but still spoke with a soft voice, “But it’s true! She even said the words on your arm. Plus you said you felt them stinging before, that means you’re gonna meet your soulmate soon.”

Moca crept up behind Ran and tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to squeak in surprise, “Hey girl, how ‘bout we go play bakery over in the sandpit?”

“B-Bakery?” Ran was clearly too shy and confused to understand what Moca meant; she started stepping away from Moca, slowly hiding behind a still bewildered Tomoe.

Moca quickly grabbed her and pulled her back out, “It’s my favourite game! Plus we can give these two a minute to talk, ya know?”

Ran looked back and forth between Moca and Tomoe, eventually settling on Moca and nodding, “Um… ok. Don’t take too long, Tomoe-chan,” Ran allowed after to get pulled away, leaving Tomoe and Himari alone.

Tomoe scratched the back of head, “My uh… my friend Ran-chan’s a little shy…”

“Right…” Himari said, not really sure what to say, she just awkwardly shuffled on her feet.

“H-Hey do you…” Tomoe began blushing furiously, unable to meet Himari’s eyes, “…Do you really think I look like model…”

 _At least **this** is something I know how to talk about, _Himari thought as her eyes sparkled. “Absolutely! You’re like the cutest girl I’ve ever seen. I figured you must’ve been a bit older since you look kinda more mature too.”

“W-Wow, no one’s said stuff like that to me before…” Tomoe’s blush somehow deepened, her cheeks now matching her hair, “W-Whenever I looked at those words on my arm… I thought there was no way someone would actually say that to me…” Tomoe’s eyes darted between Himari and the ground, she tried to re-establish eye contact but was still too embarrassed, “Um… you’re really pretty too…”

“Really? You think so!?” Himari visibly brightened.

“Yeah… yeah I do…” Tomoe said, nervously fiddling with her fingers, “So… you wanna play a game with me?”

Himari nodded, “Sure, what game do you want to-”

“Himari-chan!” Tsugumi called out as she entered the park, “Did I go slow enough? Did you make it?”

“Tsugumi-chan, it’s been like five minutes, I’m not that bad!” Himari yelled back.

“Oh, is this another friend of yours?” Tomoe asked. “Are you really popular, Himari?”

Himari blushed a little, not only at the question but noticing Tomoe already dropped honorifics, “Yeah, this is Tsugumi-chan. Hey, Tsugumi-chan, this is Tomoe-chan. She’s my… um…”

“Oh… I get it…” Tsugumi nodded, immediately figuring it out.

A devilish grin overtook Tomoe’s face, “I got an idea, with this many people we should totally play tag!”

Himari sighed, _she wants to play tag? I’m always so bad at it, she’s gonna think I’m a total loser…_

“Oi, Ran-chan!” Tomoe called to her friend, “You two get over here, let’s all play tag together!”

When Himari was about to voice her concern, Tomoe grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze, “I wanna be on a team with Himari! We’ll be it!” Tomoe looked to Himari, her gaze was filled with joy and excitement, “Come on, Himari, let’s show ‘em what the best soulmate team can do!”

Himari felt her heart skip a beat; she was completely drawn in to Tomoe’s spirit, feeling a kind of connection she had never felt before, “Y-Yeah, I think we’ll be great together, T-Tomoe,” Himari tried to sound confidant but still ended up being a nervous wreck, “I-I mean a good team, or you know, good soulmates, or a good soulmate team heh heh.”

Tomoe and Himari stood there gazing into each other’s eyes; suddenly feeling a spark between them, they now held both their hands together and started felt a strange new sensation pulling them together until they were snapped back to reality when Moca called out to them, “Yo, Hii-chan, we gonna play or you just gonna perv on your girl all day?”

Tomoe leaned in and whispered into Himari’s ear, “Let’s get her out first.”

Himari smiled, knowing she had found someone she could instantly feel this close to and share this much with, even getting back at Moca for her damned teasing. This was definitely a day she would remember forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray, second chapter out! StarLightCrystal said on another story I wrote they were interested in a Tomoe X Himari chapter (they also asked for Moca X Ran but we'll get there later) as well as a soulmate AU, so here it is.
> 
> This was a rather interesting chapter to write for me personally, firstly it's my first time writing a 'soulmate AU' type story, I've only read like one or two so hopefully this feels like a good one for those that like these type of stories.
> 
> Secondly, this was my first time writing Tomoe X Himari, and that made me a little nervous. I actually really like writing for a variety of ships, so that wasn't the bad part, it was that despite Tomoe and Himari being such a popular ship, I never got into it personally, BUT I still respect other's desire to ship them. I don't think the ship is outlandish or against character or anything, in fact I absolutely ADORE Tomoe and Himari's friendship, but for some reason never got into them in a romantic sense.
> 
> Anyway, the reason I'm explaining all this is, despite me personally not being into it, I still hoped to make a story that'll satisfy all the lovely Tomoe X Himari fans out there. I like to think I can still make a good story for these pairings even if they're not my OTP or anything, and really, just the thought that someone else out there, someone who DOES like this pairing might be made happy by me making a (hopefully likable) story for them, then that makes me happy to write it (how very Kokoro of me).
> 
> Truthfully, despite not being into the ship, I had a TON of fun writing this, something about it made me smile. So let me know what ya think, see ya next chapter.


	3. Needed Comfort (Tsugumi X Himari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Himari's had a terrible day that just seemed to get worse and worse and she needs to vent about it. Fortunately for her, Tsugumi is always there to listen.

It was a pleasant, quiet night at Hazawa Café. After a long afternoon of cheerily helping her parents make coffee and treats and serving them to all their valued customers, Hazawa Tsugumi was ready to unwind and relax; dreaming of nice, hot bath followed by snuggling up in her cozy bed with a good book.

Though before Tsugumi could achieve this dream two last tasks remained; the first was to finish sweeping up around the tables, with just one small section to go Tsugumi was excited to be almost done. The other task that remained was comforting a very upset friend, Uehara Himari.

Himari had regularly come into Hazawa Café as it was closing to vent to her friend about the various stumbles and screw-ups she had experienced that day. Tsugumi’s parents, having finished their share of the closing time tasks, decided to give the two girls their space and left to prepare dinner for the family, making sure to let Himari know she is more than welcome to join them if she wants to.

Himari sat slumped over in her chair, resting her head on one of her hands and drawing circles in the table with the other. She sighed and continued rambling about her day, “…and then, one of my senpais in the tennis club said they would help me with my backswing, which I thought was gonna be awesome! But then I totally made a fool of myself, not only did I barely hit any of her serves but I somehow smacked myself **really** hard in the face with my racket. AHHH! It’s so humiliating.” Himari sunk further down, her cheek now smooshed against the table, “Then I made my senpai miss the rest of practice ‘cause my stupid nose started bleeding and they took me to the nurse… I bet they were really annoyed with me…”

Tsugumi reassuringly rubbed Himari’s back as she passed by the table, “There there, Himari-chan, I highly doubt your senpai would blame you for it and you know, maybe you can look at the positives of this. You can learn from what you did wrong and impress everyone next time you practice; plus you know your senpais care more about your wellbeing than practice, that must feel nice, right?”

Himari lifted her head, “You know what, Tsugu… you’re right! I’ll show ‘em all next time just what I can do when I get serious.” Himari found herself full of vigour with Tsugumi’s encouragement; her new found disposition was temporary however, as she slumped back over remembering what happened next.

“But then I totally forgot my homework and the sheet music I was gonna copy for Ran in the nurse’s office! And I still didn’t even finish all the math homework have due in couple days…”

Tsugumi, having now finished the sweeping, leaned the broom against the wall and turned back to Himari, “It should be fine, Himari-chan, you can always get them back tomorrow. You’ll have plenty of time to get the coping done, and I can help you get your homework done if you come round again… though I can’t promise to be particularly helpful, I’m pretty average myself…” Tsugumi looked a bit put off for a second but gave Himari a determined looked, “B-But I’ll do everything I can to help you, Himari-chan!”

“Thanks, Tsugu, I appreciate the help, but that’s it’s not just that,” Himari huffed. “The real problem is that I’m still so forgetful, I try to take on extra responsibility but I just keep messing it all up.”

Tsugumi grabbed a nearby, packed up chair and placed it next to Himari. She slipped into the chair and rested a comforting arm around Himari’s back, “Himari-chan, I know it can be a little frustrating to mess something up, but you already excel at so many other things I think it’s ok to not be so hard on yourself for the occasional mix-up.”

Himari kept her head hung low but flicked her eyes upward to meet Tsugumi’s gaze, “What am I good at?”

“So many things!” Tsugumi said a little louder than intended as she tried to get across how highly she thought of her friend, “You’re an amazing bass player, you have a great fashion sense, you’re social, athletic, and you’re one of the best friends a girl could ask for! Not to mention you’re very cute!”

“Hehehe, Tsugu” Himari giggled, a small blush rising up her cheeks, “I think you just think really highly of your friends… but thanks anyway.” Himari leaned into Tsugumi, resting her head against the other girl’s shoulder, “But… there was one more thing that happened today. The big one that really got to me… did you hear about… about Kaoru-senpai?”

Tsugumi froze for second; she had heard about it earlier but was unsure whether Himari already knew. Tsugumi dreaded the thought of Himari finding out and not having someone there with her at the time, knowing exactly how it would make her feel. _If she found out today… that would explain why she showed up here a little earlier than usual…_ Tsugumi figured.

Tsugumi decided to just say a little, to ease into the topic better, “You mean about her… and Tomoe-chan? Yeah, Tomoe-chan texted me earlier about it… she seemed really happy…”

“Ok course she’s happy!” Himari bit her lip as she felt tear beginning to roll down her face, “She got Kaoru-senpai… who wouldn’t be?”

Tsugumi fully enraptured Himari in a hug, she began comfortingly stroking Himari’s back and Himari in turn clung onto Tsugumi, “I know you must be pretty upset but… you’re not mad at Tomoe-chan, right?”

Himari shook her head from the safety of Tsugumi’s neck, “I can’t blame Tomoe, they must really like it each other, it just really sucks, ya know? I thought Kaoru-senpai was the one for me…”

Tsugumi mumbled barely audibly “I know what it’s like when you love someone… and they don’t even look at you… ‘cause they love someone else…”

Himari lifted her head; her eyes were red and puffy from the tears, “What was that, Tsugu?”

“I-I said… I know it might hurt, Himari-chan, but I think the only thing you can do is try to be happy for them… I think if you can accept it… you might find yourself happier too…”

Himari nodded solemnly then let her head sink back down, she knew Tsugumi was right, but still found it hard to deal with. Tsugumi continued to talk, “A-And you know, I bet there was probably a whole bunch of kouhais that would have been upset if they lost their chance to be with the great Himari-senpai!”

Himari giggled into her hand, “Hehehe, yeah right, Tsugu.”

“I’m serious, Himari-chan,” Tsugumi affirmed. “There are probably a whole bunch of girls out there that would love to be with you! Dozens even!”

Himari shook her head, “I don’t need dozens of girls to fawn over me… although that would be kinda fun… I just want one to **really** love me…”

Tsugumi swallowed a lump in her throat, there were words she was desperate to yell out but she held back, still feeling conflicted about whether or not to say how she felt, she settled for something half way, “W-Well… someone is definitely out there who feels that way about you… I’m sure of it.”

Himari scoffed, “I don’t think so, maybe someday, but not now…” She sighed and wiped away the last few tears that remained, “I sure hope whoever does fall in love with me is just like you, Tsugu. Someone kind and gentle, would always listen to me and comfort me, someone I get along with really well and would like to hang out with all the time. Yeah, that’d be nice…”

“W-Well what if…” Tsugumi began nervously.

Himari tilted her head curiously, “What’s up, Tsugu?

Tsugumi’s breath was shaky, she felt the sweat that began pouring from her forehead and thundering of her heart threatening to burst it’s way out of her chest. Still, she tried to suck in one deep breath, moved hands down to clasp Himari’s, and looked her friend in the eyes. “What if the person who fell in love with you… **was** me?”

Himari blinked a few times, clearly trying to take in what Tsugumi said, “W-What do you mean, Tsugu?”

“I mean like…” Tsugumi racked her brain, _Is there a way I can be more direct? Maybe Himari-chan just can’t look at me that way… but maybe if I…_

Tsugumi raised her hands to gently cup Himari’s cheeks; Himari’s eyes widen a little in surprise, but she still sat silently. Tsugumi leaned in until their faces were just an inch apart, “I mean… like this.” Tsugumi closed the distance, pressing her lips against Himari’s; Tsugumi felt Himari stiffen a little but she did not pull away nor did she push Tsugumi away.

After a few more seconds Tsugumi felt Himari’s loose grip on her sides tighten and pull her in more; finally she felt Himari kiss back, the light pressure sent electricity through her entire body, a feeling of pure ecstasy.

The two pulled apart and stared lovingly into each other’s eyes, neither was sure what to say but both wanted to speak.

The small smile on Himari face grew wider and wider til it seemed to take up most of her face, “S-So… like that, huh?” Himari looked like she was about to start crying again.

“I-Is that ok? I know I’m not exactly princely or anything but-”

Himari cut Tsugumi off by placing a finger on her lips, “I think you’re even better than a prince, you’re my… my…” Himari couldn’t hold back anymore, tears began pouring from her eyes, “You’re my Tsugu! AHHH! I love you, Tsugu!”

“D-Don’t cry, Himari-chan!” Tsugumi tried to calm her down, “I love you too!”

Himari began to fan herself trying to cool down, “Too late, Tsugu! I’m already- WAHHH!” Himari practically smashed her head into Tsugumi’s shoulder and began sniffling. “I’m sorry, I just… didn’t expect any of this… I’m so happy!”

Tsugumi giggled and held Himari close, “It’s ok, Himari-chan, take all the time you need.” Tsugumi kissed the top of Himari’s head, “I’ll always be here for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is out, Raven2303 said they wanted Tsugu and Himari, well here it is; hopefully they, as well as anyone else reading this, enjoyed it.
> 
> Somehow I've wound up doing several Himari ships in a row for the first few chapters of this, totally unintentional but I'm not complaining. She's pretty adorable and the Afterglow member probably most interested in being in a relationship, so I suppose it makes sense, I just hope I've written her well for all the big Himari fans out there.
> 
> Anyway, as usual I'd like to know what people think of this chapter so please leave a comment letting me know. I'm unsure what I'll be posting next; I do still have several chapters planned for this (a few pairings I randomly chose and a few suggested) though there are also a few other things I been meaning to get round to, including a Kaoru focused ship collection, and stories for franchises other than BanG Dream! Like Revue Starlight, or Yuri Yuru or Zombieland Saga. Guess I just see what I feel like when I have the time.
> 
> Well, thanks for taking the time to read my stuff, hope you enjoyed it, see ya next chapter!


	4. Easy Come, Never Go (Ran X Himari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Afterglow's newest song written and sent off for the band to approve, Ran seeks to have a peaceful afternoon but when one member in particular finishes reading through it, they just have to speak to Ran right away.

Ran enjoyed her peaceful Sundays, sure spending most of her days off with her close friends was a must and something she truly enjoyed, but it was nice to have the day to herself every now and then. With all her homework done Ran let out a content sigh.

_Now, what do I want to do to with the rest of my da-_

The sound of thunderous knocking echoed through the otherwise quiet house; the sound shook Ran from her thoughts, she recognised it to be someone loudly banging on their front door, why they didn’t just ring the doorbell was beyond Ran.

“Hey, Ran, could you get that? I’m a little busy…” Ran’s father called out.

He was probably in the middle of making some flower arrangements Ran figured, “Sure, dad!” Ran groaned as she slowly got herself out of her comfortable laying position; shuffling her way to the front door. Before she had a chance to open it the person waiting began knocking again, this time even louder, sounder more erratic or desperate to enter. “Yeah yeah hold on, I’m coming!”

Arriving at the door, Ran swung it open and found herself face-to-face with a blubbering pink-haired mess. “Raaaaaaaan!” Himari wailed, “I just read through the song! I love yo-”

Ran slammed the door in Himari’s face, silencing the girl before she had a chance to finish. Ran feared this was an inevitability, but she still held out hope there was some way it wouldn’t come to pass. With the new song she wrote being sent out for the Afterglow gang to read through earlier in the week, she had already heard from Tsugumi, Tomoe and Moca, all of whom seemed to approve of it. The last opinion to hear, and the one Ran was the most apprehensive of, was Himari’s.

Ran hadn’t intended it to be this way when she started writing the song, but the lyrics ended up coming from some feelings she thought were long buried and dealt with. Thankfully none the others picked up on it, at least their texts didn’t seem to give anything away, the most they said was it was song to show what a good **friend** Himari is to **all of them.** Nothing about Ran’s personal feelings being expressed.

With all of this in mind and song out there for Himari to hear, Ran dreaded what she would say; anticipating she would say those three words Ran longed for to hear from her but knowing she would say it in a way and with a meaning that would only sting Ran’s heart.

The knocking returned. Ran closed her eyes, gripping her arms and holding herself.

_Just get through it, Ran. She’ll say the words, not mean them, and things will go back to how they usually are… the same as always…_

Ran readied herself and opened the door again.

Himari puffed out her cheeks and tapped her foot, “Geez, Ran, so rude…” Himari really was trying her hardest to appear angry but they both knew Ran wasn’t buying it for a second. Himari brightened up almost immediately, her rosy cheeks accentuating her sparkling eyes; Ran couldn’t help but think of how beautiful her friend really was.

“Anyway, Ran, can I come in? I wanna talk about the new song! Please!?” Himari begged.

_If only you knew how impossible it is for me to say no to you…_

“Sure I guess,” Ran shrugged. “My dad’s doing some work stuff, so we at least won’t get annoyingly interrupted.”

“Good, ‘cause I got a lot I wanna say!” Himari gushed. She skipped her way into the house, already making her way to Ran’s room before she had a chance to say anything. Ran shook her head.

_Just make yourself at home I guess… of course… you’re always welcome to…_

* * *

Himari plopped herself down on Ran’s bed, she bounced up and down a little, barely containing her joy. She wondered why Ran hadn’t joined her in the bedroom, but she assumed there was some good reason. Himari decided to lie down and make herself comfortable while she waited.

After a few minutes Ran, now carrying two steaming cups, entered her bedroom finding Himari with her eyes closed and a content smile.

_She so beautiful I almost don’t want to say anything… still, I can’t just stare at her._

“Yo, Himari!” Ran yelled, “Don’t go falling asleep on me.”

Himari opened her eyes, giving Ran a quick look before rolling them playfully, “I wasn’t asleep, just comfy!”

“Sure sure,” Ran placed one of the cups on the table that sat in the centre of the room, positioning it so Himari would be able to reach it. She blew on her own hot drink and took a quick sip, “I made us something to drink…”

“There really is something nice about the thought of sleeping in your bed… I not sure what though…” Ran was thankful Himari was looking at her as she spoke, lest she see Ran cheeks flaring up from a heat she couldn’t blame on her drink. Himari sat up and reached for her cup, “Anyway, thanks, Ran. What are we drinking?”

“Coffee…” Ran muttered. Himari made a face in dissatisfaction causing Ran to laugh, “Don’t worry, yours is just hot chocolate. I don’t know if I made it good at all…”

“Thanks.” Himari brightened up again, taking a good long drink, “That’s so good! You know just how I like it, Ran!”

Ran held her cup close to her lips, trying to hide the way they twisted upward into a small satisfied smile.

Himari returned her cup to the table and patted a spot on the bed beside her, “Come sit here next to me, I wanna talk about the song now!”

Ran sighed, she knew there was nothing else she could do to delay it; she made her over to the bed, placing her cup beside Himari’s and gingerly sat on the bed.

Himari wondered why Ran seemed so hesitant, but decided not to comment on it, “Ok ok, so where to start…?” Himari’s voice overflowing with excited, Ran loved seeing her like this. Himari grabbed both of Ran’s hands, holding them up between them, “So first, the melody is so lovely! I can already hear it in my head and it’s so, **so** great! Oh! And the lyrics, I noticed I’m singing more this time! I’m so happy, it’s like you and me get to do a duet.” Himari pulled Ran’s hand in close, placing them over her chest, “I know my voice isn’t as good as yours is, but I’ll my best!”

Ran was so embarrassed by the close contact she couldn’t help but stutter as she forced the words out, “Y-your voice is… b-beautiful, Himari…”

“Oh, Ran…” Himari smile grew twice as large, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes, “The lyrics themselves are really nice too. You know it almost feels like you wrote it just for me!”

“That’s ‘cause I did…” Ran whispered.

“Really…?” Himari’s eyes widen in shock, “I had no idea!”

Ran chuckled as she shook her head, “I thought it was almost too obvious… I even included that phrase you like…”

“You mean ‘Hey Hey Hoh’?” Himari eyes sparkled at the mention of it, “I was so happy when I read that, I even started crying!” Himari scooted even closer to Ran, the sides of their legs now pressed together, “So, when you wrote about a person who was ‘kinda scatterbrained’ but said there’s nothing wrong with that and said it’s cool how nice and helpful the person is… that was about me!?”

Ran looked down, unable to meet Himari’s eyes, “Y-yeah, pretty much…”

Himari let go of Ran hands and threw her arms around the shy girl, drawing her in for a tight embrace, “Ran! You make me feel so special!” Ran practically melted as Himari began burying her head in Ran’s neck. The hold was becoming too much, Ran felt something bubbling up inside her, something she knew she could never tell Himari about.

Shocking Ran even more, once Himari pulled away slightly she worked her hands up Ran’s figure to cup her cheeks; their eyes now locked on one another with faces only inches apart, “You really are the best friend a girl could have!”

Ran could feel Himari’s hot breath on her lips as she spoke; the bubbling feeling turning into white hot temptation.

_Her lips… so close… they look so soft and inviting…_

“You know, Ran, if you were a boy…” Himari paused as if for effect, Ran could take it anymore, “I’d probably kiss you right n-”

Ran cut her off, silencing Himari with her lips. Ran wasn’t surprised Himari didn’t kiss back, that much was to be expected, but she was happy Himari hadn’t pushed her away yet. Ran figured during this brief window before Himari shoved her away, slapped her face and yelled at her for stealing her first kiss, she was going to enjoy every millisecond she had. Himari’s lips were more perfect than Ran had imagined over several sleepless nights; she would say their lips almost seemed meant for one another, but she knew better than to try and fool herself. Ran knew this would more likely end their friendship then start something new.

The sad thoughts finally catching up to her, Ran pulled away; seeing Himari staring at her, eyes wide as saucers.

After a few moments of silence Himari brought her hand up to her lips, “You… actually kissed me…”

“I’m sorry!” Ran blurted out, “I’m so sorry, Himari, please don’t hate me!” Ran covered her face with her hands as the stinging of her tears began burning her eyes. “You were just so close and I couldn’t help myself. Please, Himari, don’t hate me!”

Himari placed a comforting hand on Ran’s shoulder, “Ran… I could never hate you, I’m just… confused.” Himari furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. There was a strange feeling in her gut, something she hadn’t felt much before but she knew what it was. Desire. Himari had never really thought Ran could look at her this way, but being with her like this, nothing had ever felt more right in Himari’s entire life. “Ran, could you… kiss me again…?”

Ran pulled her hands away from her face, revealing her already red and puffy eyes, “W-what?”

“I need to be sure of something. So, like I said…” Himari wiped Ran’s tear stained cheeks and brought her close once again, “kiss… me… **again**.”

When Ran still seemed hesitant, Himari made the first move, pulling Ran in the last remaining inch and pressing their lips together. The feeling was even more extraordinary then before, having Himari kiss her back electrified Ran’s whole body.

Ran noticed a new sensation on her lips, it was Himari’s tongue; the other girl’s boldness temporarily stunning her. Ran parted her lips slightly, allowing Himari to slide in and take control. Ran’s body shivered as felt Himari’s tongue play with her own.

_This can’t really be the first time she’s kissed someone… she’s amazing…_

Himari laid back on the bed, pulling Ran with her to lay on top, the girl’s lips still not separating as they hungrily made-out. Himari’s back arched as Ran ran her fingers through Himari’s hair; moaning in pleasure, Himari used her own fingers to claw at Ran’s back, desperately trying to press their bodies closer together.

Finally, when their lungs couldn’t handle anymore, they separated. Still clinging close together, panting heavily as they stared into each other’s eyes. “Ok… I’m sure…” Himari struggled to say as she gasped for air.

Ran was unsure what to say; she figured Himari kissing her must mean there was something between them, but what exactly Ran was not clear. “Himari… what are you sure of exactly?”

“I’m sure I’ll be happy being your girlfriend!” Himari said matter-of-factly.

“G-girlfriend!?”

Himari pouted a little, “What kind of girl do you think I am? I’m not gonna kiss a girl I don’t love!”

“L-love!?”

“Ran, would you catch up already?” Himari shook her head in disbelief, “When you kissed me I thought about the words you wrote about me and knew it was love! I just needed to be a little more sure about my own feelings, kinda obvious now that I think about it…”

“W-wait so…” Ran was still absoluty bewildered, “You really love me back!?”

“Oh my god, Ran! Yes!” Himari acted annoyed but she knew where Ran was coming from, if their roles were reversed Himari would also be hesitant to believe her crush liked her back. This made Himari start to wonder something, “Hey, how long have you thought of me this way…?”

Ran blushed, “I think probably… around about when we first formed Afterglow…”

“That long!?”

“Well, around then… I knew right away I wanted to write a song about you someday at least…” Ran reminisced, “It just took a while for me to find the words…”

Himari hummed contentedly, the feeling of Ran in her arms and hearing someone she liked speak about her like this was everything she dreamed of. “I just remembered my favourite part… about my ‘dazzling radiance’ and where you say as long as we’re together we’ll be alright…”

Ran chuckled, “Laid it on a little thick there, didn’t I?”

Himari quickly pecked Ran’s cheek with a kiss, “That’s what makes it romantic though!” The two lay silently for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s touch. A wicked thought entered Himari’s head and a sultry grin crept up to accompany it, “Hey, Ran… you know what you can do now that we’re officially girlfriends?”

Ran tilted her head curiously, indicating for Himari to continue. Himari’s hands slipped up Ran’s back, applying just the smallest amount of pressure to bring their bodies as close as possible. One of Himari’s hands made it’s way to Ran’s cheek, stroking it lovingly before she continued, “Kiss… me… **again**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... Happy Belated Birthday Himari! There may have been 2 birthdays in the meantime but still, it's out! This also ended up a little more... horny than intended, but Himari can be like that sometimes so it plays!
> 
> Completely unintentionally I've somehow ended up doing the various Himari X Afterglow ships for this first, not complaining, she's been fun to write, just strange how it ended up so Himari dominated.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think of this! Comments, kudos etc. always appreciated. Also, what was your favourite of the Himari ships?
> 
> Next to do a Yukina X Mashiro idea I have for Yukina's birthday, given that it's already moved onto Arisa's birthday, the timing is obviously perfect.


End file.
